Foreign Fishing Depletes African Waters to Feed European Aquaculture, Says Greenpeace Report

An investigative report by Greenpeace Africa highlights concerns over foreign industrial fishing practices off the coasts of Gambia and Senegal. According to an investigative journalist from Gambia featured in the report, many industrial fishing vessels and fish processing companies operating in the region are foreign-owned. The fish caught by these entities are reportedly not sold in local African markets but are instead processed into fishmeal. This fishmeal is then exported, primarily to Europe, to be used as feed for aquaculture, such as salmon farms. The report suggests that this practice leads to a depletion of local fish stocks, impacting the food security and nutritional intake, specifically Omega-3s, of West African communities. The journalist emphasized that the profits from these operations do not remain in the local economies. Greenpeace is advocating for a moratorium on certain fish farming practices in the Mediterranean to address these concerns and protect African marine resources and livelihoods.